Sleeping on a pile of rocks while lost in a forest in the middle of the night was a lot easier said than done. No matter which way I tossed, no matter how I turned, there was no way I was getting any sleep tonight. Grumbling, I rolled off the rocks and landed soundly on the forest floor. I hadn't been uncomfortably lying there for long, but stretching my arms and back felt like I was rebooting every muscle and joint in my body. My left arm was especially sore, not because I had been lying on it or anything, but because I'd used it to summon that Geo structure during the duel.

I rolled my left shoulder, thinking about that exact moment. About how it felt like I was trying to pull something directly out of the earth. I guess I had, in a way.

Well, if there wasn't anything else around here to do besides fail at sleeping or fail at finding my way back, I might as well revisit Geo. Because my left arm was sore, I looked to my right hand before shaking my head. I wielded my sword with my right hand. If I wanted to stick with a dual-fighting style, to simultaneously deal physical and elemental damage, I had to strengthen my left arm to keep up.

I reached my left hand out to the ground, imagining the weight of Geo condensing into shape, imagining the Geo structure erupting into existence and slamming on the ground. The more I concentrated, the more my hand sunk. My muscles flexed, and I could almost see where the Geo structure would land. My mind's eye transformed into a golden marker on the ground, and I let the power build up until I couldn't support it anymore.

"Hah!" I yelled out, letting my arm shoot up into the sky.

At the height of my outstretched hand, just a few paces away, a golden flash of light shone ahead of me. It almost looked like a star, but the Geo structure quickly formed and it slammed into the ground—right where I had envisioned it. A medium burning sensation lingered in my arm, but it was quickly fading.

I stood in front of it, admiring my work. Walking around, I noted the imperfections, the jutting shards of Geo at the bottom, and the glowing lines surrounding the face of the rock. Just like the ones before, it was definitely taller than me, but it wasn't hard to climb up top. Pulling myself up, I noticed the signature Geo symbol decorated the top and glowed the same as on the sides. I also noticed that, from here, I could see a little more of the forest.

If I stacked another structure on top of this one, and maybe another on top of that, then I might be able to see above the trees—far enough to locate myself in this forest and maybe spot the town. The only issue was the Geo structure collapsing in on itself like I'd seen it do before.

I waited.

It stayed.

I wanted to be surprised, but this somehow made sense to me. The first time I made the Geo structure, it disappeared as soon as I registered what it was—a mysterious boulder in my room following a nightmare. The second time, at the duel, I wasn't concerned with maintaining the boulder. Now, I could do that.

Climbing down, I distanced myself to allow for the guiding light to reach my first boulder. The lingering effects in my arm had since disappeared, and I readied my left hand to feel for the sturdiness of Geo. Heavier and heavier, the sensation grew and I released the Geo energy. Just as I hoped, a second boulder was summoned from the sky. It landed directly on top of the first—amazing aim—before shattering on impact.

My jaw fell as I ran up to see what had gone wrong. There were no signs of the second boulder anywhere, and my shoulders slumped. Had I messed it up somehow? I waited for a brief cooldown period before trying again.

They just wouldn't stack.

Maybe I wasn't able to sustain two at once?

I lifted my left arm, ignoring the subtle shake in my hand. Directing the marker's glow away from the first boulder this time, I released the Geo energy with everything I had left. The combined force of energy and my exhaustion knocked me back a little. Worth it—the second boulder was successfully embedded into the earth next to the first.

Too tired to verbally celebrate, I leaned forward with my hands on my knees and looked to the ground. Two boulders were nice and all, but three would be even better. Already, I was hearing a certain someone's voice in my head.

"Don't push yourself," Diluc would be saying right now if he was here. "It's late, and you've done enough already."

"Why stop at three?" Childe would most definitely push on. "I say you go for four—no—ten."

I smiled, wiping at the sweat that dampened my forehead. Three it was. Mentally preparing myself was the easy part, and I had to cheat a little by supporting my left arm by bracing it with my right hand. After more practice, one arm would be able to withstand the pressure on its own for a longer period of time, but the handicap now was just what I needed. Taking a steadying breath, I summoned the Geo boulders.

One. Two.

I cracked my knuckles before falling back into position.

Three.

My aim was a bit off for the last one. I meant to line them up neatly, but my swaying arm didn't stick to the marked spot. Instead, the third boulder ended up summoning directly above the uncomfortable pile of rocks I'd tried to use as a bed. I expected the Geo to land there, maybe a bit crooked, but those rocks were weaker than they looked.

I flinched back in shock as the Geo crashed straight through. A thundering rumble vibrated from the rock pile as they crumbled and rolled away—a few of which I had to dodge. A cloud of stone dust billowed up from the pile, and I covered my mouth with the sleeve of my jacket. Waving the dust away, I was disappointed to find that none of the three Geo boulders remained. They must have fallen apart when I got distracted. Even more, now my prospective rockbed was no longer an option. I couldn't find it in me to be too upset about that.

This was a perfect example of why I could only practice Geo outdoors. I don't know what kind of excuse I would make up to explain another wall collapse.

I sighed and shook out my arm—it felt like jelly. This level of destruction called for a break.

"Or it means you're only beginning to unlock your full capabilities. Push harder!" Childe's voice lingered in my mind, but I waved it away.

Going this long without some sort of break has clearly made me insane—all the more reason to catch a breather. Maybe I could find a soft patch of grass or a comfortable tree nook to hang around. The last of the rock pile grit had completely disappeared, so it was easier to look around. Except, looking around led me to the second mystery of the night.

The first mystery was the unhelpful Seelie. Now, I found myself staring directly at another Seelie court where the pile of rocks had once been. It was empty.

Narrowing my eyes, I looked at the first Seelie court and saw that they were near identical. Both were made from stone, had gone through some erosion, and had the same carved design. The only difference was that this new one had no Seelie, which meant there had to be another Seelie in the forest. Another Seelie to chase down. Another Seelie to waste my time.

"Looks like you're missing your friend." I turned to Seelie. "You and I have something in common. Wait a second, is that why you so stubbornly didn't offer me glorious treasure after I went through the trouble of following you here? Do I need the both of you to get it?"

I wasn't expecting a response, but it felt polite to pause for one anyways.

"Well, you'reout of luck. The odds of me frolicking in the forest looking for spirits at this hour and actually succeeding are—actually, I'm not sure how to calculate that."

I stared at Seelie.

"You're making a tempting case." I tapped my lip. "True, I do have nothing better to do. It just seems unwise to do this alone."

"Are you passing up the opportunity to get your hands on the treasure?" Kaeya would say. "That's quite the quitter talk."

I rolled my eyes, slightly annoyed that even Imagination Kaeya was so taunting. I wanted to blame Seelie for my slipping sanity.

"...think…the best decision…find Lumine."

Great. Now the imaginary voices weren't even making sense anymore. I crouched down into a squat, inspecting the empty Seelie court. The little statue was the closest thing I had to a clue, so maybe I could find some traces of Seelie on it. Were these courts something Seelie go back to each night, like how people go to bed? Or were courts more like a final resting spot?

"Well, I think it's trying its best."

I frowned at that. Sure, that was a coherent sentence, but not one that made any sense in the context of the Seelie court. The volume was fainter, too. Less in my head and more far away—muffled by the environment, even.

"One of us should have stayed back in the town in case she found a way back on her own." That voice was distinctly Thoma's with an added mixture of rustling leaves. Rustling leaves?

I stood back up and twirled around, scanning the area.

"If she made it back, she'd have known better to just teleport back to the Academy," a grunt. Diluc. "I have a feeling that isn't the case, though. The echoes of a rockslide from earlier make me uneasy. We should speed up."

I heard the unmistakable sound of Childe's laugh. "We can't speed up. Not with how this little guy keeps taking its time."

"According to Kaeya," Diluc spat. "That thing is a Seelie. Seelie only lead us to treasure, and I'm looking for more than that."

"Or what the heart desires most," Kaeya clipped in. "You keep forgetting that part, Diluc."

A grumble. "And you keep forgetting the gravity of the situation."

I could picture Kaeya's smirk vividly. "I'm sure Lumine can handle one night alone in the forest. Call it an impromptu camping trip."

My heart picked up as I registered their words, their very real words. I hadn't been imagining voices at all, at least, not this entire time. Did the four of them really come back for me in this dark? They were talking about a Seelie, so maybe…

"Hello?" I called out. "Is that you guys?"

Silence. Then, a loud shuffling of branches, leaves, and sticks being crushed underfoot. I watched with wide eyes as four figures came crashing out of the thickest part of the forest. Behind them, a familiar blue glow cast faint shadows that sharpened as it neared. It was them. They really were here for me, and they brought the second Seelie.

"You found me." My eyes widened. "I was going to wait until morning to—"

The rest of my sentence was snuffed away with the embrace Diluc sprang at me. I would have tumbled backward with the sheer force of it, but he held me steady like he always did. Shock was the first emotion to strike me. I certainly hadn't expected a reunion this soon. Then, just as Diluc pulled away, I was hit with a wave of more.

"Thank the Seven you're alright." He searched my face. "You are alright, correct? You'd been gone for so long, and we only realized after we—I heard a loud sound earlier. Did something happen? Rockslides can be very unpredictable and difficult to avoid. Were you hurt? You're not saying anything. Say something, Lumine. Are you not able to—"

"Let her breathe," Kaeya said from the side with his arms crossed. "She can't say anything if you're worrying in her face the whole time."

Diluc cut a glare in Kaeya's direction but ultimately cleared his throat and stepped away. "Forgive me. I shouldn't have overwhelmed you like that. I don't know what came over me."

I shook my head. "No," I croaked. Why was my voice suddenly so hoarse? "It's fine. I'm glad you guys are here."

There was more I wanted to say—like apologizing for getting lost and ditching the group to chase after a Seelie. Wandering off on my own and following the Seelie felt exciting for the most part. Figuring out how my Geo powers worked alone was fun for the most part. Discovering the second Seelie court was interesting for the most part. The other parts…I had been scared that I wouldn't be able to find my way back. Trying to sleep on those stupid rocks felt awful, and I had missed the comfort of my bed. I missed the comfort of sharing a space with all of them even more. Celebrating my Geo triumphs with just myself had been lonely. Not knowing where to go or what to do next had left me uneasy. I could manage on my own, sure. But I had gotten so used to the guys helping me out, to them being there for me, that I was more affected by the separation than I thought.

Childe frowned. "You got all quiet. What's going on?"

"She looks pale." Thoma turned to the bag at his side and began rummaging around. "Do you need water? Are you cold? We can start a fire and heat some water up for you. If you prefer a blanket, the best I can do is this towel."

I actually hadn't realized how cold I'd gotten until after Diluc pulled away—taking his heat with him. "I don't need water." I shook my head. "I just…"

"Just?" Kaeya raised an eyebrow.

I set my jaw, determined to not freak them out by spilling every detail that my heart was overflowing with. "Sorry I got lost."

"How'd you make it all the way out here, anyway?" Childe asked. "The forest itself is hardly dangerous, but that's if we're not counting natural disasters you can't avoid. Like falling into a pit or drowning."

"I can swim," I quipped lightly. "As for the pit…I guess I got lucky."

"Lumi, I'd say we're the ones who got lucky. If it weren't for Seelie here, we probably wouldn't have checked out this area." Childe jutted a thumb over to the Seelie that hung behind them. "I knew all along we were going the right way, though."

Kaeya scoffed with a grin. "He called it his 'Lumi senses'. If you ask me, it was the Seelie that did all the work. Seems like we're not the only ones guided by a spirit tonight." He was looking at my Seelie.

I nodded. "I found it right after we got separated. So far, it was the best lead we had on the treasure, so I decided to go after it instead of wandering around aimlessly. It stopped in this court here, but nothing happened."

"I don't mean for this to come off the wrong way," Kaeya regarded me. "But you look quite…worn for someone who was simply following a Seelie around."

My eyebrows shot up. "You're not going to ask more about the treasure?"

"We can save that for later." He waved a hand. "I want to know more about what you were up to, Lumine. Initially, I would say Diluc's concern over your physical well-being was a tad extreme, but you do look a bit haggard."

"Haggard? Oh, it's nothing really. I was just practicing some Geo."

Thoma looked around. "In the dark?"

"Show us!" Childe pointed to an empty spot.

Diluc sighed. "I see you're allergic to rest."

"There wasn't much else for me to do," I shrugged. "I did try sleeping, but that isn't super easy to do in a forest like this. There was a pile of rocks I accidentally smashed in my practice. That's probably the loud noise you heard earlier. I guess I might have overworked myself a bit, but I made progress!"

"I take it back," Childe sighed. "And, for once, I agree with Diluc. You can demonstrate another day."

"I'm not that tired," I argued. I could tell they wanted to say more, but something else had my attention. "Besides, we can't just go back now. The second Seelie is right there. It could be the final requirement to revealing the treasure."

"I agree with Lumine," Kaeya said. "Only about the Seelie, though."

Thoma tapped his chin and hummed. "It shouldn't take very long. There's no harm in seeing where this goes now."

"Fine," Diluc grumbled.

Childe took that as his cue to walk up to the floating Seelie. Just as he got close, the Seelie shied away and moved closer to where I stood next to the empty Seelie court. All eyes were on its glowing body, to where it came to face me before gracefully descending. Just like the other Seelie, it settled in snugly and morphed into a simple blue orb.

Then, we stared at each other waiting for something to happen.

I was no stranger to being disappointed by Seelie, and a frustrated sigh rushed out. "Alright, I'll admit I was worried this might happen. Before we lose hope, there could be a third Seelie court that—"

A third Seelie court wasn't necessary. Not with the sudden flash of white light emitting from between the two Seelie courts. It was so bright that I had to shield my eyes. Heart thumping, I peered through my fingers and gasped.

good luck to everyone wishing for yelan/xiao! the weapon banner looks super yummy too don't mind if i do